GFCO GEM LAB is a Swiss gemological laboratory brand owned by the company Geafinco SA based in Tramelan (Switzerland). Our objective is to provide customers with quality services at competitive prices with a focus on microscope examination; the equipment used for testing as well as all important information regarding treatment for rubies, sapphires, fancy sapphires and emeralds feature in our reports. Professionalism, integrity and transparency are our core values.
"As people have personality, gemstones do too. Their appearance is function of many factors such as color, size, cutting, clarity, lighting conditions and influenced by the surrounding jewel if mounted. Their inclusions are of special interest for the gemologist, revealing much about them, and, by the landscapes drawn, take the observer in a voyage into another world." P.Cattoni, Director and Accredited Gemologist
STAR REPORT (15.4 x 22cm)
MEDIUM REPORT (7.8 x 10cm)
POCKET REPORT (9.25 x 6.25cm)
GRADER REPORT (15.4 x 22cm)
JEWELRY REPORT (15.4 x 22cm)
MEDIUM JEWELRY REPORT (7.8 x 10cm)
DIAMOND JEWELRY REPORT (15.4 x 22cm)
SEALED POCKET REPORT (9.25 x 6.25cm)
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE TERM "NATURAL"
GFCO GEM LAB® uses the term "NATURAL" to describe a gemstone originating from nature (in opposition to "SYNTHETIC" for man-made or imitation gemstones). The term "NATURAL" has no implication regarding the presence or not of a treatment (a gem can be natural and treated or natural and untreated). The presence of a treatment is possibly disclosed as a comment on the main page or in the area featuring the testing methods. No explicit mention of absence of any treatment shall signify that the laboratory has not researched the presence or not of a treatment. For both convenience and marketing reason, the laboratory does not comment on the treatment of semi-precious gemstones which are commonly treated, unless such treatment is unusual or generates a risk of deception.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT RUBIES HEAT TREATMENT
Standard heat treatment of rubies (called "old heat" in the market) may leave glass-like material in fissures, crackes and cavities. This glass-like material is called "borax" in the market. The quantity of borax depends on the amount of fissures, cracks and cavities in the stone; obviously, the more fissures, cracks and cavities, the more borax and the lower the gem quality. GFCO does not make use of the term "glass-filled stone" for the reason that, for example, it does not make sense in reality to call a stone with an insignificant presence of borax in a single small fissures a "glass-filled stone". So the question is at which level should a stone be considered glass-filled? This is a subjective appreciation which we let the customer decide based on the comment added after the treatment: e.g. STANDARD HEAT, MINOR (1); STANDARD HEAT, SIGNIFICANT (2), etc. - where number (1) signifies borax in thin fissures only and number (2) signifies borax in fissures and/or cracks/cavities.
The term "glass-filled" is commonly used in the market for stones heated with lead glass, a heating applied to the lowest quality of rubies. GFCO calls this treatment FILLING HEAT as the treatment objective is to fill the stone with lead glass. Although the quantity of lead glass present is usually very significant (2) when it comes to lead glass, it sometime happens a gem to contain only insgnificant lead glass.
Indicative illustration of presence of borax and comment:
→ For more information, please visit the page dedicated to treatment
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